Korean scam ring busted in Almaty in joint operation with Kazakhstan
Summary
Korean investigators busted a Korean scam ring operating in Kazakhstan in a joint operation with local authorities, police said Wednesday. Fourteen suspects were apprehended in Almaty on July 23, and five more in Korea, with all 19 identified as Korean nationals. The ring allegedly moved from Cambodia to Kazakhstan via Vietnam and used a call center to impersonate officials and carry out phishing and financial fraud. Police said it swindled about 600 million won from 16 domestic victims.
Key Facts
- The Korean National Police Agency said the Almaty operation was the first time Korean authorities directly apprehended a Korean scam organization operating from Central Asia.
- The scam ring was originally based in Cambodia and moved its base to Kazakhstan via Vietnam in April.
- Police said the ring swindled about 600 million won from 16 domestic victims by operating a call center in Almaty and impersonating officials from agencies such as the Financial Supervisory Service, the prosecution and courts.
- The 19 suspects were all Korean nationals, and the 14 suspects arrested in Kazakhstan were repatriated to Korea between July 28 and Wednesday.
- Investigators said the suspects were mostly men in their 20s to 40s, except for one woman in her 30s.
Members of a Korean scam ring are apprehended in Almaty, Kazakhstan, July 23. Courtesy of Korean National Police Agency
Korean investigators have busted a Korean scam ring operating in Kazakhstan in a joint operation with the Central Asian country's authorities, national police said Wednesday.
Investigators from a governmentwide special task force on transnational crimes apprehended 14 members of the scam ring in an operation in Almaty, Kazakhstan, on July 23, while five other members residing in Korea have also been arrested, the Korean National Police Agency (KNPA) said in a briefing. All 19 suspects are Korean nationals, it added.
The operation marked the first time Korean authorities have directly apprehended a Korean scam organization operating from Central Asia.
The ring has been classified as a scam organization because its members committed various types of phishing crimes, including voice phishing and financial fraud carried out through text messages.
The KNPA speculated that some Korean scam organizations operating in Southeast Asia, including Cambodia and Vietnam, appeared to have relocated their bases to Central Asia amid intensified crackdowns, resulting in a so-called balloon effect.
The joint crackdown operation was dubbed "Ine," which means "needle" in Kazakh, reflecting the authorities' determination to burst the balloon effect, the agency explained.
The Almaty ring was originally based in Cambodia but moved its base to Kazakhstan via Vietnam in April. The police speculated Kazakhstan's well-established information technology infrastructure, ease of land escape to neighboring countries, and comfortable living environment for Koreans may have been reasons for the ring's relocation.
It has been found that the scam ring swindled approximately 600 million won ($421,000) from 16 domestic victims by setting up a call center in Almaty and impersonating officials of government agencies, such as the Financial Supervisory Service, the prosecution and courts.
Some victims voluntarily transferred their money to the scam ring after being deceived into believing their accounts were involved in criminal activity, the KNPA said.
The arrested scam ring members are in their 20s to 40s and are all men except for one woman in her 30s, the KNPA said, adding the 14 suspects arrested in Kazakhstan have all been repatriated to Korea between July 28 and Wednesday.
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